Nintendo just made it official: the Switch 2 lands on June 5, 2025, and while it still looks like a Switch, a lot has changed under the hood. The new model introduces magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers, a larger 7.9-inch 1080p display, and GameChat, a built-in voice and video chat system — because, apparently, Nintendo finally remembered that the internet exists.
Magnetic Joy-Cons: Because the old ones were kinda annoying
The Joy-Con 2 controllers snap onto the console with magnets, rather than the slide-in rail system that (if you’re like me) you’ve spent years cursing at. They also double as motion-sensitive mice, which sounds gimmicky but could be useful for certain games.
GameChat: Nintendo discovers voice and video chat
For the first time, Nintendo is adding native voice and video chat — no more weird app workarounds. GameChat lets you talk to up to 12 friends while playing, or video chat with up to four if you have a USB-C camera plugged in.
There’s a catch: GameChat will be free until March 2026, but after that, you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online membership. (Nintendo giveth, and Nintendo taketh away.)
Bigger screen, better internals
The new 7.9-inch LCD display sticks with 1080p resolution but should look sharper than its predecessor. The company has also upgraded the CPU and GPU, promising faster load times and smoother performance — though, in true Nintendo fashion, they haven’t said exactly how powerful it is.
The Switch 2 ships with 256GB of internal storage, a huge jump from the original’s 32GB, and supports microSD Express for even faster loading times.
Backwards compatibility (sort of)
Yes, your Switch games will work on the Switch 2… but not all of them will run perfectly. Nintendo hasn’t detailed which ones might struggle, but expect some quirks. On the bright side, older Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers will still work.
Launch bundle: Mario Kart makes the cut
At launch, Nintendo will offer a Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle, because if there’s one thing Nintendo knows how to do, it’s sell you Mario Kart again.
We’ll get more details in the coming months, but from what’s been revealed so far, the Switch 2 is shaping up to be the refresh the hybrid console needed. Now, if only they’d given us an OLED screen…